Yalanza
Hidden deep within the inlet known as the Bay of Pirates, the secret shantytown of Yaulazna serves as a refuge and hangout for many of the pirates who ply the waters along the coast of the Great Sea. Half of this hamlet lies on shore; the other half on a floating platform composed of derelict ships that have been lashed together. The landbound portion was built on a much older site—a collection of ancient foundations and odd stone columns dating from the same time and culture as the ruins at Chasolne. Numerous tunnels, warrens, and chambers honeycomb the ground beneath and behind the shantytown, where the mountains rise up from the ocean. Stats Yaulazna (Hamlet): Conventional; AL LE; 30,000 gp limit; Assets 9,000,000 gp; Population varies (about 180), averages 300; Integrated (human 37%, halfling 23%, half-elf 13%, half-drow 9%, half-orc 7%, elf 5%, tiefling 4%, other 2%). Authority Figures: *Yargo (LE male lightfoot halfling rogue 9/Great Sea corsair 8), the Pirate King of Yaulazna. Important Characters: *Zuusted Nimderval (NE male human conjurer 20), Yargo's right-hand man; *Cam Beely (NE male human rogue 7/Great Sea corsair 4), captain of the Starsnake and formal rival of Yargo; *Ly'stri Faerow (CE female half-drow rogue 4/fighter 7/Great Sea corsair 8), captain of the Black Widow and considered the most notorious pirate on the Great Sea; *Wamdra Brooling (N female human rogue 3/expert 14), former courtesan of Calimport and proprietor of the Purple Genie tavern and hostel. Yargo's Butchers Ships' Crews: At any given time, 1d6+4 ships are in port. Each has a captain with character level 8th - 12th (usually a rogue or fighter with several levels of Great Sea corsair), plus 2d20 fighters, rogues, experts, and warriors of 1st to 10th level. Other Characters: Barbarian 1, bard 3, bard 1 (2), commoner 7, commoner 6, commoner 5 (2), commoner 4(3), commoner 2 (7), commoner 1 (18), expert 6, expert 5(3), expert 4 (3), expert 3(2), expert 1 (2), fighter 6, fighter 5(3), fighter 4 (7), fighter 3(8), fighter 2 (11), fighter 1 (13), rogue 3, rogue 2 (4), rogue 1 (7), sorcerer 2, sorcerer 1, warrior 3, warrior 2 (5), warrior 1 (8), wizard 1. The Vanishing City An outsider might find it somewhat surprising that the navies of the coastal countries have made no effort to shut down Yaulazna, but Yargo has planned for such a contingency. In fact, both Halruaa and Dambrath have tried several times to sail an armada into the Bay of Pirates and burn the shantytown to the ground, but each time ships have arrived, their crews have found nothing to put to torch—as if the whole place had simply vanished. This impression is actually not far removed from the truth. Yargo has a powerful friend—a renegade wizard from Halruaa named Zuusted Nimderval (NE male human conjurer 20), who has developed a variation on the plane shift spell that actually causes the entire shantytown to vanish to another plane temporarily. For security, Yargo simply posts watches near the entrance to the bay and higher up the sides of the mountain (to watch for skyships), and Zuusted uses magical means to detect scrying spells and creatures trying to approach with magical stealth. At the firstsignoftrouble,theshantytownandeveryone in it shifts away until the heat is off. Yargo uses a good portion of the money that pirates pay him for storing their treasure to keep Zuusted happy. Yargo, Pirate King of Yalanza Authority Figures: Yargo (LE male lightfoot halflingrogue 9/ Great Sea corsair 8), the Pirate King of Yaulazna. Important Characters: Zuusted Nimderval (NE male human conjurer 20), Yargo’s right-hand man; Cam Beely (NE male human rogue 7/Great Sea corsair 4), captain of the Starsnake and formal rival of Yargo; Ly’stri Faerow (CE female half-drow rogue 4/fighter 7/Great Sea corsair 8), captain of the Black Widow and considered the most notorious pirate on the Great Sea; Wamdra Brooling (N female human rogue 3/expert 14), Unlike Purl to the east, Yaulazna has a strong central authority figure—the legendary Pirate King Yargo (LE male lightfoot halflingrogue9/GreatSeacorsair8).Yargoconsidershimselfthe owner of Yaulazna, and for all intents and purposes, he is right. He maintains iron-fisted control of the community, and he has the hired muscle to back up his word. But despite his authoritarian nature, most of the pirates welcome Yargo’s authority in Yaulazna. First and foremost, Yargo provides pirates with a suitable place to hide when either the law or a rival is hot on his trail. The Pirate King couldn’t care less what a pirate does on the high seas. As long as he minds his manners while in port, he’s free from persecution or retribution. Second, Yargo happily resolves disputes between feuding corsairs who come before him. His one stipulation is that anyone who chooses to submit to his counsel must abide by his decision or never be welcomed back in Yaulazna again. Third, Yargo maintains a standing offerthatanyonewishing to store plunder can keep it safely in the caverns beneath the town for as long as desired, so long as Yargo gets ten percent of its total value, payable upon placing the goods in storage. The Pirate King has demonstrated his own trustworthiness on so many occasions that most of the pirates feel comfortable taking him up on his offer, and an astonishing amount of booty is hidden in the network of chambers underground. Once in a while, a rogue pirate sneers at the thought of handing his treasure over to Yargo for safekeeping, but the Pirate King never has to defend his practice. Almost every other pirate in town quickly speaks up on Yargo’s behalf when such a situation occurs.